Defenders of the Force Episode 3: The Netherworld
by EsmeAmelia
Summary: In the wake of the Revolutionaries' threat, Anakin Skywalker's ghost summons Luke, Leia, and Han on a mission to rescue Padme's soul from the netherworld of the Force. Episode complete.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I still don't own Star Wars - if I did the afterlife aspect would be a little different. Why do I say that, you ask? Well, be prepared for a long author's note. We all know Luke sees dead people, but there's a catch to the afterlife in the SW universe. Some people think Qui-Gon's "return from the netherworld of the Force" simply means that Qui-Gon learned how to communicate with the living, but according to George, that's not the case. According to more than one of the Blu-Ray and DVD audio commentaries, when you die in the SW universe, you become part of the Force, but you don't have your identity anymore. Qui-Gon learned how to get his identity back and shared the skill with the other Jedi, but those who aren't Force-sensitive don't get that skill. Non-Force-sensitives _lose their identity _when they die, which to me seems like a fate worse than death (pardon the pun). Well, given what we know about Anakin, after he dies and realizes Padme's not there, I don't think he'd rest until he found a way to get her back. When I first had the idea for this series I KNEW I had to do an episode about that, so here we go.

"Defenders of the Force Episode 3: The Netherworld"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 1

It had been a week since anyone had last heard from the Revoluionaries, but even though the senate was investigating the matter, it still disturbed Luke during meditation, particularly when teaching meditation to his daughter's class. Fifteen minutes of meditation at the beginning of every class, that was his rule, though he knew that at this point in their training, most of his students were just sitting still and trying not to fidget. Mae knew the basic skills of meditation since the Skywalkers sometimes meditated together, but in the classroom environment she still had trouble relaxing.

Of course, Luke was currently having trouble relaxing as well. He felt on edge, as if he were trying to sleep while anticipating a loud noise. Some part of him was always expecting the Revolutionaries to attack.

_Luke?_

Luke nearly jumped when he thought he heard a voice he hadn't heard in years, but he forced himself to keep still and his eyes to remain shut. He breathed in as he concentrated on focusing his thoughts into a word.

_Ben?_

The sagely voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi responded in an urgent manner. _Luke, we need your help._

_My help? For what?_

_I can't tell you here,_ Obi-Wan continued. _Invite your family to dinner tonight and we can tell you there._

A ghost was telling Luke to invite his family to dinner? Well that was something they hadn't asked of him before. _Why can't you just tell me here?_ he thought to Obi-Wan's voice.

_Because this involves your family as well as you,_ said Obi-Wan.

Luke let out a small sigh, hoping that noise didn't disturb his students too much. _All right, I'll see what I can do._

He waited for a response, but for the rest of the meditation session, Obi-Wan's voice was silent.

. . .

Luke invited the Solos for dinner, but he didn't tell them the reason why. He figured they would accept his invitation without him telling them ghost stories, and he really didn't feel like listening to Han telling him how crazy this was, even though he'd probably do that anyway once the ghosts actually visited.

Would Han even be able to see ghosts, given that he wasn't Force-sensitive? Maybe he'd witness the others talking to nothing and burst out laughing.

But in any case, they had accepted his invitation and the family was now seated around the Skywalkers' large table they only used when they had guests. The children were mostly talking about what was going on at school, with Owen constantly telling them that when he was old enough to be a trainee, he would kick all their butts.

Luke, however, was silent, only attempting to speak in thoughts. _All right, Ben. Everyone's here, now what did you want to tell us?_

"Luke?" The voice addressing him belonged not to Obi-Wan, but to Rianna. "Luke honey, are you all right?"

"Hmm?" said Luke.

"Are you getting some Force messages, Dad?" asked Mae.

"Are you gonna go on a mission?" asked Owen. "Can I go with you? I never get to go . . . GHOSTS!" He pointed wildly at the area behind his father. "Look look, GHOSTS!"

"Oh, great," muttered Han.

Luke turned around and sure enough, there were the spirits of Obi-Wan and Anakin. He hadn't seen them since Owen was born and they appeared to congratulate his family, but they greeted him as if it had only been a few days ago.

"Luke," Anakin said in a desperate tone, "Leia, all of you, we need your help."

The four teenagers at the table were staring with wide eyes, but Owen leapt out of his seat and ran up to the ghosts.

"Hey, are you my grandpa?" he exclaimed. "You look pretty good, considering you're dead and all. So if I touched you, would my hand go right through you? Do you always wear that robe, or can you change your clothes? Do dead people still go to the refresher? Where do you hang out? Is there some kind of ghost mall or something? What do ghosts like to eat?"

Anakin smiled down at his grandson. "You'll find all that out in good time."

Leia awkwardly licked her lips. "So . . . you need us for something?"

"Yes," said Obi-Wan, "but first, we have someone we'd like you to meet."

The two ghosts stepped aside to make way for the newcomer and there appeared a ghost Luke had never seen before. He was a man who looked like he had been in his early forties when he died (although he could have simply been choosing to appear younger than he was), with long brown hair that brushed over his shoulders and a small mustache and beard squaring around his chin.

"I am Qui-Gon Jinn," the ghost said in a soft-spoken, intimate voice. "I was Obi-Wan's master."

Luke shifted his gaze to Obi-Wan. "But . . . I thought you said Master Yoda was your master."

Obi-Wan gave his familiar eerie smile. "Master Yoda instructed me as a child, then when I was old enough, Qui-Gon took me as his padawan. So as you see, it was true, from a certain point of view."

"What?" Han exclaimed. "What the hell's that s'posed to mean?"

Luke shrugged. "It's all right, Han. I'm used to it by now."

"Anyway," said Jaina, getting out of her chair and cautiously approaching the ghosts, could you guys please tell us _why_ you're here so we can get back to dinner?"

"I'm afraid it's rather complicated, young one," said Qui-Gon. "It will take some time to explain."

"Fine," said Han, "you guys discuss your weird Jedi stuff and I'll eat."

Anakin walked up to his son-in-law and put his ghost hand down on his food, creating a barrier around it. "Han," he said rapidly, "do you know what will happen to you after you die?"

Han gulped. "Look . . . you Jedi might get to be blue ghosts or whatever, but the rest of us ain't so lucky. When we die, that's it, we're gone for good, which is why I like to _avoid _dying."

Anakin suddenly gave Han an angry glare. "And how do you _know _that? Have you ever been dead?"

"I got carbon frozen once - does that count? _You_ remember that, don't ya?"

"No, it _doesn't _count," said Anakin. "Besides, that happened _years _ago - how can you still be angry about it?"

"Enough," said Qui-Gon. "Death is far more complicated than you think it is, especially when one doesn't have the Force."

"What do you mean?" asked Rianna.

Anakin was still glaring at Han. "You won't just _end_ when you die, but you won't be _you_ either."

"What, you mean like reincarnation or somethin'?" asked Han, who still looked more interested in his dinner than this conversation.

"No," said Qui-Gon. "In the netherworld of the Force, you exist, but you aren't _anyone."_

"What?" exclaimed Jacen.

Qui-Gon ignored the interruption. "Everything that makes you yourself - your memory, your personality, your very name - all of it is gone."

"Qui-Gon is the only one to ever return from the netherworld on his own," said Obi-Wan. "The only one to regain his identity."

Anakin still seemed to be talking mainly at Han. "Everyone else here will be able to retain their identities when they die except _you._ Do you hear what I'm saying? You'll be lost in the netherworld and your family will _lose _you_ forever _unless you help us."

Han put up his hands, showing his palms. "Okay, okay, I get it, but how're we s'posed to help you?"

Anakin stepped away from Han and went back to addressing the family as a whole. "Luke . . . Leia . . . your mother didn't have the Force." His voice shook as if her were on the verge of crying. "I've tried for years to find her, revive her identity, but I can't." He looked at his children with a grave expression. "Then I thought that maybe you could help me. Leia, Luke, your spirits are connected to hers. If we could free your spirits from your bodies . . ."

"You're gonna KILL them?" Mae shouted, flying to her feet and dropping her food on the floor.

"No Mae, of course not," said Anakin. "Let me finish. If I could take Luke, Leia, and Han's spirits . . ."

"What, _me?"_ exclaimed Han. "Oh no, no no no, I ain't volunteerin' for some weird ghost experiement."

"You don't have the Force," said Anakin. "If we could successfuly extract your spirit, you might be able to journey places we can't go. The three of you could connect us to Padme."

"So . . . what exactly would this 'extracting our spirits' thing mean?" asked Luke, glancing down at his fork.

"Your bodies will be asleep," explained Obi-Wan. "Physically, you will be perfectly safe. Your spirits will simply be removed from your bodies for a while."

"Isn't that the same as killing them?" said Mae.

"No," said Qui-Gon. "A body can function without a spirit inside it, and as long as their bodies function, their spirits will be able to return to them."

"Rianna," asked Anakin, "do you know how to put someone to sleep with the Force?"

"Yes," Rianna said awkwardly, "but . . ."

"Perfect," Anakin interrupted. "We could do it tonight - if you agree, of course."

Leia stood up. "I'll do it," she said with confidence. "If there's a chance that it could help our mother, I'll try it."

"I will too," said Luke, standing up beside his sister.

Mae ran up to her father. "Dad, are you crazy? You don't know what this will do to you."

"It's all right, honey," said Luke. "I trust them."

"But do _they _even know what they're doing?" Mae grabbed her father's arm. "What will happen if something goes wrong?"

Qui-Gon gave her a fatherly smile. "Your father will be perfectly all right, young one."

"You don't _know _that," said Mae, folding her arms. "You may be dead, but you don't know _everything."_

"C'mon, Mae," said Owen. "This'll be fun!"

Luke patted his daughter's shoulder. "Don't worry, sweetheart, you and your mom can watch over us."

Meanwhile Jaina was looking Han, who had taken a sudden interest in going back to his food even though it was probably cold by now. "So . . . Dad?" she asked. "Are you gonna help them?"

Han's mouth was full, but he shook his head in response.

"Han we need you," said Leia.

"No you don't," Han said after swallowing. "You heard your old man - you guys are the ones with the spirit connection or whatever."

"And _you're _the one who's not Force-sensitive," said Leia. "Maybe you're the key in getting our mother's spirit back."

"Come on, Han," said Luke. "Please?"

Luke and Leia stared at Han for several moments, silently pleading, until finally he gave in as they figured he eventually would.

"Ah, fine, I'll do it," he said with a groan. "But when you put me back, I'd better not be in Luke's body."

. . .

"Master Luke, are you certain this is a good idea?"

"I have to try it, 3PO," Luke said as he sat on the edge of his bed and removed his shoes. "My mother's afterlife could depend on it."

"I'm sorry, sir," said 3PO, "but an afterlife is a rather foreign concept for a droid. It is difficult for me to understand why you would put yourself in danger for someone who is already dead."

R2 beeped a long scold at the protocol droid.

"Why R2, of course I never knew his mother," said 3PO. "Now stop telling me that ridiculous story of being mind-wiped. Honestly, I don't know why you make up these things."

Luke suspectied that if R2 had eyes, he would be rolling them.

Meanwhile, Han was lying in the middle of the bed, his shoes already off, staring up at the ceiling, his teeth ground.

"Come on Han, relax," said Leia, who was lying next to him.

"I'll relax when this is over," said Han.

Leia smiled at her husband and squeezed his hand. "We've got Rianna and the kids watching over us, honey. What could go wrong?"

Rianna didn't look like she shared her sister-in-law's confidence as she paced around the bed. "Well . . ." she said after a gulp, ". . . you let me know when you're ready."

Mae came running up to her father. "Wait a minute, Mom." She threw her arms around Luke. "Don't forget to come back, Dad."

Luke hugged his daughter back. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I'll come back. I promise."

"Come _on,_ Mae," said Owen, swaying side to side with his hands behind his back. "This'll be fun!"

"Fun for _them," _said Jaina, who was sitting at the table in the corner along with Jacen. "All _we_ get to do is watch them sleep."

Jacen meanwhile looked almost as nervous as his father. "Hey Grandpa - can I call you Grandpa? - you sure they're gonna be okay?"

Anakin, the only ghost to remain visible after his children agreed to the experiment, shrugged at his grandson. "They'll be fine," he said, "so long as you guys keep their bodies safe."

"We will," said the younger Anakin, giving his grandfather a salute.

"All right," Rianna said after taking a deep breath, "are you ready?"

"No," said Han, "but you're gonna do it anyway, so you might as well get started."

Rianna took another deep breath and leaned over the bed. "Okay . . . now relax."

"Again with the 'relax,'" grumbled Han, but he didn't resist when Rianna put her hand on his forehead and closed her eyes.

"Go to sleep," she whispered, rhythmically breathing in and out. "Go to sleep."

Despite Han's insistence that he couldn't relax, he quickly succumbed to Rianna's Force-induced sleep. She then repeated the process with Luke and Leia, causing Mae and the young Anakin to widen their eyes.

"Are we gonna learn to do that in school?" the young Anakin asked.

"Don't worry about that right now," said the ghost Anakin. He gave his daughter-in-law a serious look. "Make sure they stay asleep."

"Wait, are you saying it's possible for them to wake up after their spirits are out of their bodies?" Rianna exclaimed.

"It might be," said Anakin, "if a loud noise or something jolted an automatic awakening from their bodies, but they would be like empty shells then. If their bodies woke without their spirits in them, I don't know if we could put them back."

"It might've been nice for you to tell us that _before _they agreed to this," Mae muttered.

"They would have agreed anyway," said Anakin. "Your father and aunt and uncle have always been willing to take risks in order to help people."

"Yeah," said Mae, "but usually it's to help _living _people."

Anakin smiled at his granddaughter. "Mae, you carry your grandmother's name."

"A _shortened _version of it."

"That doesn't matter," said Anakin. "You should still be proud of it, and when Padme's soul returns, you could possibly even meet her." He turned to face Owen. "You carry my stepbrother's name. He and his family are also lost in the netherworld, as are millions of others. This isn't just about Padme. It's about all of them." He turned back to Rianna. "Protect their bodies and keep them asleep for however long it takes."

"How long _will _it take?" Rianna asked, realizing that they might should have asked that question earlier.

"I don't know," said Anakin, "but I _hope _it won't be too long."

With that, he vanished.

. . .

Everything was dark and silent, but Luke wasn't afraid. He was . . . floating . . . yes, floating. Floating through silent darkness, but it was pleasant, like drifting off to sleep.

Then he became aware of something grasping his hand, pulling him up in a gentle but firm manner. Though he would have liked to remain floating, he followed the pull up, up up.

"Luke, open your eyes."

He could open his eyes? He had thought his eyes were already open, but once he heard the voice he concentrated on where his eyes should be, but somehow it felt _different._ As if he were in a different form than what he was used to. He felt . . . lighter. Suddenly he realized that there were no little discomforts the human body was so used to - no itches, no pulls in clothing, no tiny pains.

"Come on Luke, open your eyes."

Finally Luke found the ability, and the first thing he saw was . . . himself. There he was with Leia and Han, sleeping on his bed, Rianna hovering over them, and suddenly he remembered.

"You did it," he whispered. "Father, you did it."

"Yes he did," said Leia's voice. Luke turned around and there she was standing next to Anakin, translucent like he was, with a blue light surrounding her. She made a pretty ghost, though she was staring down at herself with bulging eyes.

"This is _weird,_" she said, shifting her focus to the children. "Can they see us?"

"Not right now," said Anakin.

Luke waved his hand in front of his face, realizing that in this form, he had his right hand back, glimmering in the strange blue light. For a moment he simply gazed at it, feeling like he had just recovered something he had missed for a long time, even though he had long gotten used to living with his artificial hand.

"All right, one more," said Anakin, looking down at Han.

Leia suddenly looked nervous, her widened eyes looking from Han to Anakin and back again. "Are you sure you can do this with him too?"

Anakin's lack of an answer confirmed her fears.

"Leia," Luke said in a vain attempt at comforting her, "I'm sure Father knows what he's doing."

Leia only watched as Anakin took Han's hand and closed his eyes, concentrating on coaxing Han's spirit out of his body. It took several moments before there was a hint of blue light emerging from Han's body. Luke stared down at the light, waiting, waiting, waiting for it to form into Han's spirit, but it never came. He looked back at his father and froze when he saw the fear in his eyes.

"Something's wrong," he whispered. "I can't hold on to him."

"What's going on?" Leia exclaimed, grabbing her father's shoulder.

"I told you - he's slipping through my grasp," said Anakin, gritting his teeth. Luke would have expected him to start sweating if he weren't a ghost.

Then all of a sudden, the light disappeared. It didn't sink back into Han's body - it merely disappeared. Anakin slowly turned around, facing his children with a distraught expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," he said in a moaning whisper, lowering his head in shame. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry."

"What do you mean?" demanded Leia. "Where's Han?"

Anakin's hands were trembling as he looked up at his daughter. "The same place where Padme is," he whispered. "The netherworld."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks for the reviews!

"Defenders of the Force Episode 3: The Netherworld"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 2

The spirit floated through the dark without form, without memory, and yet consciousness remained. It knew it was floating through what seemed to be endless darkness, and with that came a vague sensation that it hadn't always been this way. The spirit felt like it had been something else before, though it couldn't recall what.

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

The voices surrounded the spirit from every direction, but no response ever came. Perhaps the spirit itself was even calling out at times, but it couldn't be sure. It drifted on, and on, and on, not knowing how much time was passing. It might have been thousands of years; it might have been a few minutes.

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

As it drifted, the spirit started to feel that something was wrong. There was something it was supposed to do . . . somewhere it was supposed to go . . . but what? Where? What else was out there besides this infinite darkness?

Suddenly the spirit beheld an image in what might be called the equivalent of its mind. A human male figure, lying in a bed, scruffy brown hair, broad shoulders, white shirt, brown pants with yellow stripes running down them. The spirit suddenly felt as if there was some invisible string tying it to that figure - a long, loose string, but the connection was undoubtedly there, and with it came two words.

_Han Solo._

Renewed energy flowed through the spirit at the realization.

_My name is Han Solo._

. . .

"Why did I EVER trust you?" Leia was yelling at her father. "Why the HELL did I ever trust you?"

"Leia . . . sweetheart . . . I didn't know this would happen," said Anakin, raising his hands in an attempt to calm his daughter.

"No, you didn't," spat Leia. "You didn't know _what _would happen."

"Leia," Luke said in the most gentle voice he could muster, "you _wanted _Han to participate, remember?"

Leia didn't answer - she just stared down at Han's soulless body, his chest rising and falling, looking like he was peacefully asleep, giving no indication that it was now a hollow shell with nothing inside. Jaina was standing next to the bed, reaching over to ruffle her father's hair, a gesture that would disturb his sleep under normal circumstances, but now he remained perfectly still. If she were inside her body, Leia knew her blood would be on fire, but right now she felt none of the physical signs of anger - no headaches, no rapid heartbeat, no tensed muscles, yet the rage was still there. She wanted to punch Anakin in the face for taking her husband away even though she knew he would feel no pain.

"So . . ." Luke said in a small voice, ". . . what do we do now?"

"We need to see Master Yoda," said Anakin. "If anyone can figure out what to do, he can."

Leia whirled around to face her father. "Then why didn't you go to him in the FIRST place? HE would have known better than to subject Han to this experiment."

"I didn't think this would happen," Anakin muttered.

"Oh, of _course _you didn't," snapped Leia. "Nevermind that _every single _non-Force-sensitive lost their identities when they died - it _wouldn't_ happen with Han because he didn't technically die." She whipped back around, again facing Han's body, wanting to cry even though her ghost form couldn't produce tears.

"What happens when his body wakes up?" Luke asked, trying to stay calm. "Rianna won't be able to keep him asleep forever."

"All the more reason to talk to Yoda," Anakin responded, though Leia noticed how he didn't actually answer Luke's question. "Come on, I'll take you to him."

Leia couldn't move. Even though her soul didn't bear the constraints of a body, it could still constrain itself. She wondered if putting her _own _soul in Han's body would help retrieve his soul. Did his soul even exist anymore? Had everything that made her husband an individual simply vanished?

"Leia?" Anakin asked. "Please, come on."

Leia felt the concentrated, intangible warmth of his hand on her ghost shoulder, but still she couldn't move, part of her fearful that if she left, Han's body might cease functioning and there would be no hope of bringing him back to life.

"Leia," her father repeated, "we _need _to see Master Yoda if we want to save him."

Leia finally reached up and let her father take her hand, though she kept staring at Han's body until Anakin vanished, taking his children with him.

. . .

_My name is Han Solo._

Han clung to the name like a drowning sailor clinging to a lifeline. _My name is Han Solo._ If he had a name, that meant he was _someone_, even though he seemed to have no form in this endless darkness. _My name is Han Solo._ He had a name, and he was pretty sure the body he had envisioned was his . . . or used to be his. _My name is Han Solo. _He had a name and a body . . . so what else did he have?

_My name is Han Solo . . . and I'm dead._

The word seemed to flow through his essence, filling him with panic. _No . . . no . . . I can't be dead . . . I can't be . . . _He focused again on that body, _his _body. There had to be something more to him than a name and a body, _something._

_My name is Han Solo._

Come on, come on, what else was there?

_I'm dead._

No, he could _not_ think of that. Just because he wasn't in his body didn't mean he was _dead_, did it?

_My name is Han Solo._

He concentrated again on the body that wavered in and out of his imagination. The body wasn't alone, he suddenly realized, which made him concentrate harder even though it was exhausting him. How easy it would be to just release himself into the darkness, go on floating.

_My name is Han Solo . . . I'm not alone._

His body wasn't alone, but _who _was with him? Every bit of his being was focused on that image that he was fairly certain had been the last thing he saw before this blackness . . whenever _that_ was.

_My name is Han Solo . . . dammit, why can't I remember anything else?_

Once he thought the small phrase "dammit," he suddenly envisioned two bodies in the bed with his own, one on either side. One was a man with blonde hair and a boyish face despite his age, and the other was a woman with long brown hair brushing over her shoulders. The woman's body pulled at him with that same tug his own body had, perhaps even stronger, making him feel warm and comfortable.

_Leia . . ._

With that name, it was as if a dam broke and sent a torrent of memories into Han's consciousness.

_Leia. Chewie. Jaina. Jacen. Anakin. Luke. Rianna. Mae. Owen. _

His family.

He remembered flying his ship . . . his ship, the Millennium Falcon, the best thing he ever owned . . . through asteroids, jumping into hypersapce, fleeing the Empire.

He remembered kneeling on the floor across from his wife, cheering on his infant twins as they learned to crawl.

He remembered being a child on Kashyyyk, gazing up at the stars from Chewie's arms.

He remembered chasing stormtroopers down the corridor of the Death Star.

And he remembered . . . ghosts.

_That's _why he was like this. He'd agreed to an insane mission to try to retrieve Leia's mother's soul from the Force netherworld or whatever.

But obviously, something must have gone horribly wrong.

. . .

"Mom, I'm _bored,"_ groaned Owen.

"I thought you said this would be fun," said Anakin, not looking up from the book he was reading.

"Well it's _boring _now," said Owen. "They're not even snoring." He looked over at his mother. "Can I play a hologame?"

"Did you do your homework?" Rianna asked with her hands on Luke and Han's heads, making sure they were still deeply asleep.

"I did it before dinner," said Owen. "Remember, you were _there."_

Rianna sighed. "Fine," she said, "just don't have the sound too loud, I need to concentrate."

Owen immediately dove to the floor in front of the holovid Luke and Rianna had in their room. "Hey, who's up for a game of _Blasterfire?"_

"I'll play," said Jaina, diving to the floor next to him. "Gimmie a controller."

Within minutes, the sounds of obnoxious game music and blasters shooting filled the bedroom, but it wasn't enough to keep Mae from staring at her father and aunt and uncle. Where were their spirits now? She would have thought that one of the ghosts might be gracious enough to appear and tell them how the mission was progressing, but nothing of the sort had happened.

None of the bodies had moved. There was no twitching, no turning over, nothing except the slow breathing motions of their chests. Obi-Wan had said they would be perfectly safe physically, but were they _supposed _to be this still? It would be nice if they _knew_ what was supposed to be happening here in the physical world.

She took a few deep breaths, trying to feel her father through the Force, but nothing came. Of course, her father wasn't _there,_ after all, but logic didn't stop Mae from getting a bit lonely.

Rianna's comlink beeped, barely able to be heard over the game noises - it took her a few moments to notice it and a few more moments to pluck if off her belt.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Master Rianna?" Master Uma's scratchy voice emitted from the comlink in a quick, desperate tone.

"Master Uma?" said Rianna. "What is it?"

"Is your holovid on?"

"My son's playing a game on it."

"Well tell him to stop the game. There's something you need to see."

Rianna immediately looked back towards her son. "Owen, turn off the game."

"Aw, but _Mom_ . . ."

"No _buts,"_ Rianna said firmly. "Turn it off."

With an exaggerated groan, Owen turned the game off and flipped the holovid back to regular mode, which greeted the family with a news bulletin that showed the Jedi Temple with a headline scrolling across it.

"BOMB EXPLODES IN JEDI TEMPLE."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thanks again for the reviews! The reference in this chapter to Yoda meeting Han when he was a child comes from the early versions of Revenge of the Sith where young Han was going to show up on Kashyyyk. Since the EU isn't canon, as far as I'm concerned Han DID grow up with the Wookiees and I'll believe that until one of the many SW projects in production proves me wrong (or right, as the case may be).

There's also an animated Lego Star Wars special called The Padawan Menace (I promise I'm not making this up) where young Han and Yoda (in Lego form) work together. If you haven't seen it, check it out because it's hilarious and little Han is sooooo freakin' cute.

Okay, enough rambling, on with the story.

"Defenders of the Force Episode 3: The Netherworld"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 3

". . . while there have been no casualties, six students were injured in the blast," the reporter on the holovid said in a rapid voice. "This attack is believed to be the work of the terrorist group that calls themselves the Revolutionaries."

"Did you see what happened?" Master Uma asked from the comlink in a panicked voice.

"Yes," answered Rianna. "Are you all right?"

"_I _am," said Master Uma, "but I can't say the same about six of our students. We need you and your husband here right away."

"My husband can't come," Rianna said quickly, "but I'll be there as soon as possible."

"What do you _mean _your husband can't come?" exclaimed Master Uma.

Rianna gulped, glancing over at the bed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I'll be there right away. I'll see you shortly." She hung up before Master Uma could ask any further questions about Luke.

Meanwhile the children were all staring at the holovid, which was now panning around the temple's healing ward, showing the six wounded students lying in hospital beds.

_"Tamyra?"_ Anakin suddenly exclaimed.

Mae sucked in her breath. Sure enough, there was Tamyra lying apparently unconscious in one of the beds, her right arm in a cast, her hood off, revealing that her thick brown hair was matted and tangled with dried blood, which also caked a good portion of her face.

"Aunt Rianna, I want to go with you," Anakin said in a rapid voice.

Rianna raised a brow at her nephew. "Anakin, I don't know if . . ."

"Tamyra's my friend," Anakin interrupted. "I have to see if she's all right."

Rianna sighed. "Fine, but you stay close to me at all times, you hear?" She looked over at Mae. "Do you want to come too?"

Mae gulped, her gaze shifting from Tamyra in the holovid to her father on the bed, both looking equally helpless. Which one needed her most? _Neither of them need you_, her mind said. _You don't know how to heal Tamyra and you have no idea where your father even is._

"Mae?" Rianna pressed. "Are you coming or not?"

Mae inhaled. "I'm staying with Dad," she said quickly, before she could change her mind. "Tell Tamyra I couldn't make it."

"She'll ask why if she's awake," said Anakin.

"Then tell her _why,_" Mae snapped. "_She _can know, can't she?"

Rianna wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Yes, of course she can. You watch over them - and don't forget to take care of your brother too." She pulled out of the embrace and turned her focus to Owen, wrapping her arms around him as well. "You behave yourself, okay?"

"Aw Mom, can't I come?" asked Owen.

"No," Rianna said firmly. "You're too young to be wandering around a bomb site. Besides, you want to be here for your father, right?"

Owen sighed. "O-_kay."_

RIanna ruffled her son's hair. "That's my boy." She turned to Jaina and Jacen, who were now leaning against the window. "You two look after everything, you hear?"

"Don't worry," said Jaina.

Rianna looked over at the droids. "3PO, R2, you call me if anything happens."

"Of course we will, Mistress Rianna," 3PO responded in his cheerful tone. "Should there be any changes in Master Luke's condition, we will notify you right away. R2 will be monitoring them while you are gone."

R2 beeped in an affirmative tone.

"All right," said Rianna. "We'll be back soon - I hope."

. . .

Han remembered who he was, but that didn't help him get out of whatever trouble he was in right now. He wasn't a blue ghost and Luke and Leia didn't seem to be anywhere around, which meant whatever plan the Jedi ghosts had wasn't going well - unless, of course, they just hadn't bothered to tell Han that he'd be floating through this big dark nothing. He wouldn't put it past them to omitt that detail.

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

The voices all around him weren't exactly helping him think, either. It sounded like there were millions of them coming from all directions, belonging to every age, gender, and species in the galaxy. Was this really the only thing the afterlife offered for ordinary people? Maybe it was a good thing that no one remembered who they were - if they did they might go insane after a few years of this.

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

Han wanted to yell at them to shut up, but of course he had no mouth. Then again, none of these other spirits had mouths either, but he could still hear them call out. Maybe there was a way to communicate with them.

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Uh, hey,_ Han thought hesitantly. _Hi guys, I'm Han Solo._

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

Was he doing it wrong? He concentrated harder on his words. _Hey, I'm Han Solo. Can anyone hear me?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hey guys, I'm Han Solo,_ he thought again, _and if you could just tell me which one of you guys is Padme, that'd be great._

Most of the voices just kept chorusing _Hello?_ over and over, but one tiny voice that Han could barely make out seemed to say something different. He strained to hear it, which seemed like a strain in his entire being rather than just his ears . . . probably because he didn't have ears anymore.

How could he hear these voices without ears? He wasn't going to ponder that right now - instead he was going to focus on that one voice.

_Padme?_ he thought he heard the voice say.

_Yeah,_ Han thought back, _Padme. That's who I'm looking for._

_Padme . . ._ the voice repeated. Han was only now able to recognize it as having a female tone. _The word . . . it sounds familiar. What does it mean?_

Han would have gulped if he had a body. _Er, I dunno if it actually means anything. It's my mother-in-law's name, that's all I know. _

_Name . . ._ The voice sounded like it had no idea what a name was. _Padme . . . name . . ._

_Yeah,_ responded Han, _it's a name. Like how my name is Han. Where I come from, everyone's got a name._

_Name . . . _

_Yeah,_ Han continued, trying not to think of how awkward this was, _I bet you used to have a name too._

_Name . . . Padme . . . _The voice repeated the two words several times as if trying to make sense of them. _Padme . . . name . . . Padme . . . _It continued over and over and over, almost blending with the _hellos_ from all the other voices. _Name . . . Padme . . . name . . . _ Just when Han thought this spirit might continue repeating those words for eternity, something changed.

_Padme . . . name . . . Padme . . . me?_

Han felt himself tense up with that one word. The suspicions he already had were rising to the surface. _Do you think . . . _he thought as carefully as he could . . . _maybe _you're_ Padme?_

_. . . _

Leia couldn't bring herself to be excited that she was finally going to meet the great Master Yoda, couldn't gaze with wonder at the translucent multicolored walls of whatever room this was, couldn't think of anything except her husband's lifeless body with its missing soul. Why hadn't she figured that this would happen? Had she really been willing to risk Han's very soul for a gamble that it might help her mother?

Yoda was seated in the very center of the round room, his wrinkled green face still, his eyes closed, his ears pointed outward. Leia had seen holos of him from the Jedi archives, but the holos couldn't convey what it felt like to be in his presence. Of course he was a ghost, but Leia had the feeling that even when he was alive he would fill those around him with wonder at the fact that he was someone who had been around far longer than most people could even comprehend, someone who carried the wisdom of ages past.

"Master Yoda," said Anakin, kneeling down in front of the old Jedi, "we need your help."

Yoda slowly opened his eyes. "Luke," he said in a raspy voice, "so good it is to see you again."

Luke gave an awkward smile at his old master. "It's . . . good to see you again, too."

Yoda gazed up at Leia. "And your sister you brought too, mmm. Important this must be for all the Skywalkers to be together, yes."

"All the Skywalkers _aren't_ together," Anakin muttered.

"Master Yoda," Leia said quickly, "it's nice to finally meet you, but we need your help."

"Said that already your father did," said Yoda. "Think I didn't hear it, did you?"

"No, of course not . . ."

"Impatience," Yoda interrupted. "Your father had it too. Inherit trait in your family it seems to be."

Leia's ghost hands were starting to clench. "Yes I'm impatient! Of _course _I'm impatient! Thanks to my _father,_ my husband's lost in the netherworld, possibly forever!"

"Mmm, husband," said Yoda, rising to his feet. "Met him a long time ago. Feisty child he was, a handful he was."

"He's not a child anymore," said Leia, bending over to Yoda's level. "But if you know his Force-signature, could you maybe reach him?"

Yoda looked up at her with solemn eyes. "If lost in the netherworld he is, then _himself_ he is no longer."

"There must be _something _you can do," Luke said, desperation in his voice for the first time - apparently his faith in Yoda had previously kept him from being worried. "I've been trying to find him through the Force, but I can't."

Yoda went back to his seat, his gaze shifting among the three. "Mmm, part of the Force he is now. Sorry, I am."

"But he's _not dead!"_ Leia shouted. "His body's still alive. So is mine. So is Luke's. The whole reason our father brought us here was because he thought that if our bodies were still alive, we might be able to go places you can't, or something."

Yoda closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly upward. "Mmm, risky this experiment was. Reckless Anakin was to involve you."

"Reckless or not, they're here," said Anakin, sliding to his feet. "And look, Luke and Leia are fine, which is proof that a Force-sensitive spirit can be safely removed from a living body. If we can do that, surely there _must _be a way to retrieve non-Force-sensitives from the netherworld."

"There might be," echoed Qui-Gon's deep voice before his ghost appeared. "Don't forget, Master Yoda, that I have been there."

Yoda opened his eyes and gazed up at Qui-Gon. "What sense you, Master Qui-Gon?"

"I sense that Han's spirit is still connected to his body," answered Qui-Gon. "With that connection intact, he cannot _completely _merge with the Force."

"What does that mean?" asked Luke.

"I don't know," said Qui-Gon, running his hand through his long hair. "It could mean nothing at all."

"For being dead, there's a lot of stuff you people_ don't know,"_ said Leia, folding her arms.

Luke quickly stepped between them, as if afraid a fight would start even though fighting would be pointless without bodies. "Anyway," he said quickly, "do you think maybe Han could still be _Han_?"

"Of _course_ he's still Han," Leia muttered.

"It's possible," said Anakin, though Leia sensed that he didn't actually know anything. How long would it be before they would actually be able to _do something?_

Anakin gave a breathless sigh. "The netherworld is blocked to us. Even the Force-sensitive spirits we've called out of there can't go back in." He gazed downward. "When calling Padme's soul didn't work, I tried many times to go and get her myself, but I can't." He looked back up at his children. "But maybe _you _can."

"Mmmm, if know himself still, Han does, in danger his spirit is," said Yoda. "The longer he remains lost, the more difficult it will be to return to his body."

Leia glared down at the diminutive Jedi Master. "Then what are we _waiting _for? Let's get to the netherworld."

"You can't just 'get' to the netherworld," said Qui-Gon, folding his hands. "The netherworld isn't a _place_ in the usual sense of the word. It is more like another plane of existence." He spread out his right hand. "Han could in fact be _here _with us, but we can't reach each other."

Leia tried to take a deep breath before remembering that in this form she couldn't breathe. How did ghosts relax themselves when they got angry if they couldn't breathe? Or did they never get angry at all? She quickly dismissed the latter possibility when she remembered how Anakin had confronted Han about the afterlife.

"If into the netherworld you wish to go," said Yoda, pointing up at the twins, "then release yourselves you must. Let the Force guide you where you need to go."

Neither Luke nor Leia completely understood what he meant by that, but they sat down in front of him as if he had ordered them to do so. Leia closed her ghost eyes, realizing that she could still sort of see through her spirit lids. Everything looked wavey, as if she were looking at them from underwater, but she could still identify the figure in front of her as Yoda from his shape and color.

"Seek out your loved one," Yoda instructed. "Concentrate. Remember him, feel him. Feel your connection with him."

Leia focused her thoughts on Han. His crooked smile. His deep, rough voice. Him seated in the pilot's seat of the Falcon, leaning back, his feet on the control panel. The taste of his kisses. Him rolling around on the floor as he played with their babies. Him chasing after stormtroopers, screaming so loudly that it echoed around the corridors. The sound of his snoring as he slept next to her. The feel of his calloused hand rubbing her cheek. His cheeks puffed out as he stuffed himself at breakfast. His arms wrapped around her, making her feel loved and secure.

_Han, where are you?_ she thought desperately. _Please Han, let me come to you._

Then all of a sudden, she felt herself falling.

. . .

Once they arrived at the Jedi Temple, Rianna and Anakin immediately rushed to the healing ward, where Rianna promptly had several other Jedi Masters bombarding her with questions, but they left Anakin alone and able to make his way to Tamyra's bed. His arms were full with a bouquet of flowers he had convinced Rianna to let him buy on the way to the temple, which made his step a little uneven, but he was still able to rush over to his friend.

Tamyra looked the same as she did on the holovid, eyes closed, hair mangled, dried blood everywhere, but still Anakin gasped when he saw her. It took him a good few moments to simply utter her name.

"Tamyra?"

The Mirilan's eyes fluttered open, unfocused as always, but the hint of a smile appeared on her cracked lips. "Anakin? Is that you?"

Anakin sighed in relief. "Yeah, it's me. What happened to you?"

Tamyra closed her eyes again. "I don't really remember. I was just walking down the hall when something fell on me . . . I guess it knocked me out. The medical droids told me part of the wall fell on me when the bomb exploded." She sighed as she opened her eyes. "My sensor broke too. At least no one died, but Force, the droids told me poor Seri got his legs blown off."

Anakin quickly looked at one of the other beds where an older human boy lay, stumps under the blankets where his legs would otherwise be. He gulped as he turned back to Tamyra. "I-I brought you some flowers. I mean, I know you can't see them, but they smell nice." He held the bouquet up to her face so she could smell them.

Tamyra gave a long inhale, taking in the flowers' sweet scent. "Yes they do, thank you." She sighed again as she sank her head into the pillow. "I guess I'll be missing class for a while."

"Mae and I will come visit you," Anakin said quickly. "We'll tell you the stuff we learned so you don't fall behind."

Tamyra smiled up at him. "Thanks . . . by the way, is Mae here?"

Anakin froze, his breath shortening. Rianna had said it was all right to tell Tamyra what was going on at aunt and uncle's house, but how was he going to actually do that? "Uh . . . Mae couldn't come," he said awkwardly, thankful that Tamyra couldn't see him tense up.

"Why? Is she all right?"

"Oh _she's_ fine," said Anakin. "It's just . . . there's something pretty weird going on at her place right now."

"What?"

Anakin took a deep breath, attempting to use the Force to calm himself but finding that his nervousness was overtaking his concentration.

"Tamyra . . ." he said after a few moments, ". . . do you believe in ghosts?"


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thanks as always for the reviews! Also, allow me to apologize for not updating sooner. I've been having a LOT of trouble with my computer.

"Defenders of the Force Episode 3: The Netherworld"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 4

After Anakin told Tamyra about the ghosts and their mission, the Mirilan merely lay with her head back, not saying anything for several moments.

"So . . . yeah," said Anakin, "that's what's going on."

"That's . . . interesting," said Tamyra, flinching slightly from the pain.

"Do you believe me?" Anakin asked in a rapid voice.

Tamyra closed her eyes and gave a soft smile. "Of course. Why would you lie to me?"

Just then Rianna approached Tamyra's bed. "Hey Tamyra," she said in a slightly frazzled voice, "how are you feeling?"

"I could be worse, Master Rianna," said Tamyra, her eyes still closed. "Of course, I could also be a lot better." She opened her eyes. "Would you mind putting Anakin's flowers in water?"

"Of course, I'd be happy to," said Rianna, taking the flowers from her nephew, but she had only taken a few steps away from the bed when Master Uma stopped her.

"Are you seriously worrying about _flowers _at a time like this?" the lightsaber teacher snapped.

"Would you like my nephew's gift to die?" Rianna retorted.

Uma glared at her, her lips puffing out. "Rianna, I don't know what's going on at your place, I know it's none of my business, but quite frankly, the lack of concern you're showing is appaling."

Rianna nearly dropped the flowers. "And just _what _is that supposed to mean?"

"Leave my aunt alone!" shouted Anakin.

Uma ignored him. "You know that it's now only a matter of time before there's another attack. You know _six _of our students are lying here, one of whom _lost his legs, _and you won't even tell me where your husband is?"

"I'll tell you where he is," Tamyra said in a soft voice. "He's trying to save his mother from a terrible fate."

Uma raised an eyebrow at the young Mirilan, as if she wondered if her injuries were making her delirious. "Tamyra, darling, you know Master Skywalker's mother is dead, right?"

"Yes," Tamyra said in a steady voice, "but that doesn't mean she can't still be in trouble."

Uma sighed and shook her head. "Tamyra . . ."

"She's telling the truth!" Anakin blurted out, though he felt his stomach drop as he did so. "My grandfather's ghost came with his friends and he took my parents and Uncle Luke on a special mission to rescue my grandmother's spirit!"

Master Uma looked at him as if he were speaking Ewokese.

Rianna quickly stepped between her nephew and the lightsaber teacher. "Master Uma, do you have any idea how the Revolutionaries managed to get a bomb to explode here? I thought our security droids had been multiplied after the first threat."

"Well apparently they weren't multiplied enough," sighed Uma before glancing over Rianna's shoulder at Anakin. "So your mother's involved with this too? Does that mean the President of the Senate won't be here either?"

"Not until they're finished helping my grandmother," said Anakin. "You can choose to believe it or not, but that's the truth."

. . .

_Who is Padme? What is Padme?_

The spirit with Han might have been asking these questions for years. It certainly _felt _like years to Han. _Look,_ he thought for what might have been the hundreth time, _don't you remember anything?_

_What is Padme?_

Han was beginning to miss being able to sigh. _I don't know that much about her - my wife and brother-and-law had to do a hell of a lot of research just to find out who their mom was._

_Padme . . . me?_

Han quickly ran through all the facts about his mother-in-law he could think of. _Okay, Padme was the queen of Naboo when she was a teenager, then she served in the senate. She's got a sister named Sola and two nieces named Ryoo and Pooja. She married a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker and had two children - Leia and Luke._ He put extra emphasis on the names of his wife and brother-in-law.

_Leia? Luke?_

_Yeah,_ Han thought. _Those are Padme's kids._

_Leia . . . Luke . . . those words are familiar too._

_Well they _should _be,_ thought Han.

But the spirit Han suspected was Padme didn't linger on her children's names. _Anakin?_ the voice said.

All right, maybe Han was finally getting somewhere. _Yeah, Anakin's her husband, and he sure as hell misses her._ He decided it was best not to mention Anakin's other identity right now.

_Hell?_ The voice sounded small and frightened now. _Is . . . this hell?_

Han listened for a moment to the chorus of voices endlessly calling _Hello?_ with no memory, no identity.

_Yeah,_ he finally thought, _I think it is._

. . .

Falling . . . falling . . . falling . . .

It was completely black no matter where Leia turned her head, and still she was falling. She closed her eyes, attempting to pull herself into an upright position, but she still wasn't used to her ghost form.

"Leia?" Luke's voice called from somewhere in the darkness.

"Luke!" Leia answered with relief. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw Luke's ghost form falling as she was, also waving his limbs in an attempt to get himself upright.

Luke ceased his attempts for a moment in order to look at Leia, then around him. "So, is this the netherworld?"

"I think so," said Leia. "Come on, we need to find Han."

"And our mother," said Luke. "Don't forget about our mother."

Leia gazed out into the dark. "I haven't forgotten about her . . . but Luke, what if she really is unreachable?"

"We can't think like that yet," said Luke. "Look, we've made it here, which is more than any of the ghosts have managed."

Leia gave a nod, bending her spirit over, then without thinking she was upright, as if her mind had interfered with her attempts before.

She gave her brother a small grin. "Hey Luke, you can stand up if you don't think about it."

"Does thinking about not thinking about it count?" Luke asked in a tone that was only half-lighthearted, but nevertheless, he was able to bend his ghost form and pull himself into an upright position.

"All right," said Leia, trying to ignore how strange it felt to have sheer _nothing _under her, "let's go find Han."

Luke held up his hand. "Wait," he whispered. "Listen."

Leia obeyed, hearing nothing at first, then little by little, hearing what sounded like a chorus of jarbled voices. They sounded like they were coming from a distance away at first, but as she concentrated harder they seemed to move closer, as if they were drawn to her concentration. Then she realized that all the voices were calling out the same word.

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

. . .

At the Skywalkers' apartment, Jaina, Jacen, and Owen sat on the floor and stared at the holovid, waiting for more news about the bomb explosion. As of right now, all they knew was that it was unknown how the bomb got into the temple or who planted it, and that all six of the injured students were in stable condition, even though one of them had lost his legs.

Meanwhile Mae sat on the edge of the bed, next to her father's feet, staring at the three still bodies. Luke's mouth was slightly open, emitting soft breaths, but that was the only sign of life he gave. If Mae didn't keep listening for breath and reminding herself that they weren't permanently dead, she would have thought there were three corpses lying next to her.

She gently pressed her finger into Luke's foot, feeling that it still carried body heat and still yielded to her touch, but could he be properly called _alive_ in this state? Where was he now? Talking with the other ghosts? Meeting his mother? Lost in the netherworld, whatever that was?

"Hey Mae, Mom's on the holovid!" called Owen.

Mae looked up, the only reaction she could give. There was Rianna on the screen, looking frazzled, but keeping calm.

"I am as horrified as all of you are about this attack," she said in her accented voice. "These Revolutionaries think that if they frighten us enough, they will break us, but nothing could be further from the truth. They hide in the dark and plan attacks on children, but I assure you that they _will _be caught and brought to justice. Cowards like them can only hide for so long."

Rianna's voice was full of venom, oblivious to the fact that her daughter had talked to a Revolutionary on the comm a little more than a week ago, something she never told her parents or anyone else about.

Who _was _that person anyway? Did he know about this attack? Did he plan this attack himself?

Why was she hoping that he didn't?

"Master Rianna," one of the reporters was saying, "according to your nephew, your husband and the President of the Senate are unavailable because of some sort of mission having to do with ghosts or something like that?"

"Anakin, you _idiot!"_ Mae whispered under her breath, hoping no one would turn around to see her blushing.

"I have no comments on the matter," Rianna was saying. "Rest assured that my husband and my sister-in-law will be here as soon as they are able."

"You could have just said Dad was sick," Mae muttered through her teeth, "but _no,_ you have to go blabbing to everyone."

"Master Rianna," another reporter said, "do you think there will be more parents pulling their children out of class after this incident?"

"If they wish to withdraw their children, they have every right to do so," said Rianna. "However, I hope they will remember that knowledge of the Force is sometimes the best defense there is."

Mae wanted to slap herself. "Yeah," she muttered, "tell that to the kid who lost his legs." She looked back at her father, aunt, and uncle, their bodies still in the deepest of sleeps, their souls still in an unreachable plane of existence.

"Hope you wake up soon, guys," she whispered. "We need you here in the living world."

. . .

_Okay,_ Han was thinking to the lost spirit, _Leia told me that her aunt or someone told her that Padme liked swimming. Does that ring any bells? You know, water all around you?_

_Water . . ._ the spirit who was possibly Padme said. _Yes . . . I think I remember water._

Well that might be a clue . . . but then again, probably everyone here could say they remembered water in one form or another. Again, the chanting of _Hello? _around them was making it hard to concentrate, especially since a few of them seemed to be calling louder than others.

_Why are you here?_ the spirit was asking. _Why are you different?_

Oh great, how was Han supposed to explain that? _Well, I'm here cause I'm tryin' to help Padme, and I guess I'm different cause I'm not actually dead . . . least I don't think I am._ _When I first got here I was like you for a bit - I didn't remember anything, but then my life came back to me._

_Why can't _I _remember?_

_Probably cause you're really dead,_ Han answered, doing his best to ignore the _Hello?_ voices that seemed to be calling directly to him. _Your husband Anakin was really hoping we could find a way to get you outta here._

_Anakin . . . _the spirit repeated. _That word . . . it's sad._

Han didn't know how to respond to that. Would triggering her worst memories get her identity back, or would it make her stop talking to him?

_I like you,_ the possible Padme spirit said after a few moments. _You're nice. No one's ever talked to me before._

_Well . . . thanks,_ thought Han.

They floated on for a little bit, drifting into the sea of voices calling out, Han really wishing he could see something other than blackness. He didn't think he had ever missed being able to see so much, not even during his brief blindness after being released from carbonite.

_Han?_

_Yeah? _Han thought to the spirit.

_What?_ asked the Padme spirit. _I didn't say anything._

Suddenly Han realized that the voice he'd heard calling his name hadn't sounded like the one he'd been talking too. He strained himself through the _Hello_s, seeking out that voice.

_Han? Han, are you here?_

Feeling like he was grinning even though he didn't have a face, Han focused his entire being on answering.

_Leia?_


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Thanks as always to all the readers and reviewers! Again, let me apologize for taking so long to update. My computer's giving me a lot of trouble, plus this chapter was hard to write anyway. This is the last chapter of this particular episode, but there will be another episode coming soon.

PS: The only part of Han's backstory here that was taken from (possible) canon is him being raised by the Wookiees - everything else is my creation.

PPS: And I know you probably don't care about my personal life, but my girlfriend asked me to marry her! I'm engaged!

"Defenders of the Force Episode 3: The Netherworld"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 5

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

The voices surrounded the twins from all directions, but Leia persisted in calling to her husband even though she remembered how Anakin had said calling his wife out of the netherworld didn't work. "Han?" she shouted. "Han, if you can hear me, answer!"

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

Leia closed her eyes, concentrating on picking through the voices like chopping away vines in a jungle. There _had _to be Han somewhere among these lost souls.

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

"Han!" the princess called again. "Han, for the Force's sake, answer me!"

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

Leia got the distinct sense that the voices were following her. Indeed, they felt like they were penetrating her ears, but she remembered again what Yoda had said about focusing on her connection with Han. Again she filled her mind with thoughts of her husband, reaching out her hand, imagining him finding his way through this endless blackness to take it.

"Han?" she called out again.

The voices crashed over her ears again, but this time she kept herself focused on Han, his hazel eyes, his cocky grin, his deep voice, keeping her hand held out for him, and then finally she heard something different.

_Leia?_

. . .

Hours passed, but Rianna and Anakin still hadn't returned. Owen had fallen asleep in front of the holovid and Jaina carried him to his bed, but aside from that there had been little change. The twins were still watching the news and Mae was still sitting on the bed, feeling empty, wishing the Force would tell her where her father's soul was.

Then suddenly, Luke's foot twitched.

Mae gasped. "Guys . . ." she said carefully, ". . . come look."

"What is it, Mistress Mae?" 3PO asked, hobbling up to the bed, closely followed by R2.

Mae swallowed. "I think Mom's Force sleep might be wearing off."

"What?" the twins exclaimed in unison, leaping to their feet and rushing to the bed.

"Look," said Mae, pointing at the three sleepers.

Luke's foot twitched again. Leia let out a sigh. Han's nose wrinkled. The normal motions of sleeping people.

"If they're moving," Jacen said in a hushed voice, "does that mean they could wake up before they're finished?"

"Maybe, I don't know," said Mae, desperately looking up at her cousins. "Do you guys know how to induce sleep with the Force?"

"No," said Jaina. "That's something Uncle Luke doesn't teach until you've almost graduated."

Mae sighed. "Of _course_ it is."

"So . . ." said Jacen, his voice going down to a whisper, ". . . I guess we could just be real quiet and hope for the best?"

"I don't know if that'll be enough," Mae whispered back.

"Well, perhaps there are some sleeping pills in the refresher?" 3PO offered, his voice in its normal volume. "It might be possible to get them to swallow them if someone inserts them into their mouths and strokes their throats. Perhaps one person should hold Master Luke's body while the other puts the pill in his mouth and . . ."

Jaina put her hand on the droid's mouth as Luke gave a soft moan. Mae held her breath, but fortunately her father didn't make any sound after that.

"Well . . ." Jacen whispered, ". . . maybe they're starting to wake up cause they're almost done with the mission?"

"Maybe . . ." Mae responded, though her Force senses were telling her otherwise. She reached out to feel her father's presence and still felt nothing. Wherever he was, he wasn't anywhere close to his body.

. . .

Han didn't know how he could see in this faceless form, but there was his wife, glowing blue in the dark, a worried look on her face. Of course, he could see her, but she couldn't see _him_ since there was nothing of him to see.

"Han?" she called again.

Han focused all his energy on reaching his wife, starting to feel exhausted as he did so. _Leia, I ain't a blue ghost like you - as far as I can tell I'm nothing. _

"Nothing?" Leia exclaimed.

_Yeah,_ answered Han. _Didn't even remember anything for a while. But hey, guess what, I think I found Padme._

"Padme?" Leia exclaimed, her ghost eyes expanding.

_Yeah,_ thought Han. _Hey Padme, come meet your daughter._

_My . . . daughter?_ The voice was frightened again, softer, as if wanting to run away.

"That's her?" Leia said, her voice softer as well.

Aside from the voices calling _Hello?, _there was silence for several minutes, until finally Leia said, "I . . . I remember that voice." She gazed in the voice's direction, her mouth slightly open. "Mother?"

The voice didn't respond.

_Hey?_ asked Han. _Padme? Where'd you go?_

Nothing responded but the _Hellos_ from the other lost souls, a few of whom seemed to be calling directly at Han. _Padme?_ he repeated.

"Han, where is she?" Leia asked.

_I dunno._ Han stared out into the blackness, wishing he could control the direction in which he floated. _Hey Padme, where are you?_

_Don't call me that._

_Why not? If Leia remembers your voice that pretty much proves you're her._

The voice was timid and whispering. _Does that matter if I don't remember anything?_

Just then Luke suddenly appeared in ghost form, floating up to Leia. "Leia, did you feel that?"

"Feel what?" asked Leia.

"I don't know, some sort of tremble or something," said Luke.

_Hey kid,_ Han thought.

"Han?" said Luke, looking around. "Where are you?"

_Long story short, the spirit-transfer thing didn't really work on me, but look, I think I found your mom._

Luke's eyes grew wide. "You . . . you found Padme?"

_Sorta. I mean, she doesn't remember who she is, but I'm pretty sure it's her._

Luke's lips rubbed together. "Can I . . . talk to her?"

"I'm not sure," said Leia. "Han, does she want to talk?"

Han stared into the blackness, wishing he could see where Padme was. _Padme?_ he thought as gently as he could. _Where are you?_

No answer, only the spirits chorusing their calls out to nothing.

"Han?" Luke asked. "Where is she?"

_I dunno, she was just here,_ thought Han. _Padme, c'mon, these are your kids here._

Then he felt like he was shaking. It lasted only a second, but it made him dizzy despite his lack of a head.

_What the hell was that?_ he thought to Luke and Leia.

"That's what I was talking about," said Luke.

"I felt it too," said Leia.

_Well what the hell's goin' on?" _demanded Han.

Luke looked like he was trying to swallow. "I think we're starting to wake up."

. . .

"Sleep," Mae was whispering as she kneeled next to her father, her hand on his head. "Sleep . . . sleep . . . sleep." Next to her, Jaina had her hand on Han and Jacen had his hand on Leia, all whispering the same thing. "Sleep . . . sleep . . . sleep." They had turned off all the lights except for a single bedside lamp, which made the bed feel like an island in the dim room.

Mae imagined her father sleeping peacefully, not like he was here, but bundled up in the covers, giving the slightest of snores, content in his dreams. She breathed steadily, picturing the image flowing through her arms and into her father's head. "Sleep Dad, sleep."

This was ridiculous, part of her was saying. She was only guessing how to keep them asleep, after all. But what were their options? Shouldn't they try to do _something?_

"Sleep," Mae and the twins kept whispering together. "Sleep, sleep, sleep."

All the while, the sleeping bodies gradually showed more and more signs of life.

. . .

"If we're waking up, we've got to get out of here," said Luke.

Leia glared at him. "We can't leave Mother," she said desperately.

_We can't leave _any _of 'em,"_ Han thought to them. _Just listen to 'em. You wanna leave 'em here after this?_

Luke glanced around, as if trying to identify all the lost spirits. "But . . . how do we get them out?"

"Luke! Leia!"

The voice that called was Anakin's, though Han couldn't see his spirit anywhere. He was about to ask where his father-in-law was, but then Padme's voice suddenly reappeared.

_That voice . . . I know that voice._

Han would have swallowed if he were in his body. _That's your husband._

_My . . . husband?_

"Luke! Leia!" Anakin repeated. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," was all Luke could say, since he was staring in the direction of Han and Padme's voices.

_I think . . . _Padme was saying in a hesitant tone, . . . _I think he's called to me before, but I couldn't answer._

"Guys," Anakin's voice continued, "your bodies are waking up, you need to get out!"

"What about Rianna?" Luke asked, looking up even though his father's voice didn't seem to be coming from any particular direction. "Isn't she keeping us asleep?"

"Something's happened at the Jedi Temple," said Anakin. "She had to leave."

_Ani? _Padme's voice whispered. _Ani, is that you?_

_You remember him? _Han asked.

Meanwhile, Luke looked like he was gasping even though he didn't breathe. "What happened?" he exclaimed.

"You'll find out soon," said Anakin, "but right now you need to get back in your bodies before you wake up. Did you find Han?"

"Yes," said Leia, "but he's . . . not himself."

_Ani! _Padme called out. _He can't hear me, can he?_

_Doesn't look like it,_ answered Han.

"I think we found Padme too," said Luke.

"PADME?" Anakin exclaimed.

_Ani!_ Padme repeated.

"Where is she?" Anakin shouted. "How is she?"

"I don't know," said Leia. "A moment ago she didn't seem to remember anything, but now she's calling to you."

Anakin's voice grew softer. "Calling to me? But . . . why can't I hear her?"

The world seemed to shake again, pushing Han and the twins off balance, briefly making Han feel like he was being pulled out of the darkness, hearing what sounded like his daughter saying, "Sleep, Dad," but then he was thrown back into the dark, still next to his wife and brother-in-law.

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

Han felt tight, as if his spirit was trying to relax but was unable to do so. _How're we gonna get all these people outta here?_

Leia and Luke were looking all around them, listening to the chorus of lost souls. "Well . . ." Leia said after a moment, "when we went looking for you, Yoda told us to focus on our connection with you." She twisted her mouth. "And . . . Anakin sent us on this mission because of our connections with Padme . . . maybe that's it."

"What's it?" asked Luke.

"Everyone here must be connected to someone else in some way," said Leia. "Friends, family, that sort of thing. Maybe if you and I seek out the people _we're _connected with and _they _seek out the people _they're _connected with and so on, maybe we could _all _get out of here when Anakin calls us up."

_Uh, yeah, one little problem with that,_ thought Han. _In case you haven't noticed, these guys don't exactly remember who they're connected with._

_No,_ interjected Padme, _we don't. But . . . sometimes I _feel _close to someone else. I hadn't talked to anyone before Han found me, but sometimes when I hear another lost voice, I feel sorry for them, like we might have something in common. Maybe . . . maybe that means I'm connected to them._

With that, Leia shouted at the other spirits. "Everyone! Listen to me! We've come to rescue you!"

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

"Listen!" Luke yelled. "We have a possible way to get you out of here, but you have to help us!"

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

"Han, can they hear us?" Leia asked.

_Probably,_ thought Han, _but maybe they don't trust you, I dunno. Padme didn't talk to me till I said her name._

The twins only paused for a moment before they started shouting to the voices again.

"Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru!" called Luke. "It's me, Luke! I know you guys have to be here somewhere!"

"Father! Mother! Bail and Breha Organa!" called Leia. "Please, speak to me! Even if you don't know who you are, there must be _some _piece of you here!"

_She has other parents? _Padme asked Han.

Han was beginning to wonder why he was the one who had to explain everything to Padme. _Well, yeah. After you died, she got adopted by other people._

_Were they nice?_

_Well, I never met 'em, but she says they were._

Padme's voice was relieved. _Good, I'm glad._

Leia and Luke were still calling out to their guardians, which was making Han uncomfortable. Who could he call to? Maybe his parents were here, but he didn't even know their names. How could he call to people he didn't know?

_Han? _Padme asked. _Don't you have someone to call?_

Han focused on the story Chewie had told him, how a small Corellian starship crashed on Kashyyyk, how the Wookiees found the bodies of three humans - a man, a woman, and a young boy around seven years old - and a human infant around a year old who had miraculously survived the crash. The bodies were burned and the baby was raised with the Wookiees.

_Han? _Padme persisted.

_I don't _know _who my parents are,_ Han answered.

_You must know _something _about them._

Han felt himself tensing up again. _Yeah, I know they're dead. I know I had an older brother who's also dead. That's it. The ship they crashed in didn't have a log or anything. _

"We are all part of the Force," Luke was announcing. "Don't be afraid, just let the Force guide you. _Feel _your connections to the others."

Once more Han's surroundings felt unstable, as if he were starting to wake up from a dream he wanted to stay inside, but still he repeated the story to himself. _Mom, Dad, big brother, _he thought. _I don't know you and you probably don't know me, but we're connected by the Force or whatever. _He felt silly just thinking it.

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

_Hello?_

Again some voices seemed to be calling louder than others, but Han suddenly realized that he had been hearing the _same _voices sounding like they were calling right at him this whole time. When he concentrated on discerning the individual voices, they sounded like a man, a woman, and a child.

_Mom, Dad, brother!_ he thought rapidly and desperately. _It's me, Han! Okay, you don't remember me, but back when you guys were alive you had a baby boy in your family. I'm that baby!_

The universe shook again and Han noticed the chorus of _Hellos_ was getting softer, as if there were fewer of them now.

"Luke! Leia!" Anakin was shouted from wherever he was. "I have to get you out of there _now!_ You're about to wake up!"

"All right everyone, it's time!" Luke called. "Feel your connections to each other and don't be afraid. The Force is with us."

"Han, Mother," said Leia, "don't be afraid, I've got you."

_I'm not afraid, Leia, _said Padme.

Suddenly Han was turning over and over as if tumbling down a steep hill, then he was just falling, falling, falling, but all the while he kept focused on his feeble connection to his family.

_Mom, Dad, brother . . . Mom, Dad, brother . . . where are you?_

. . .

Han awoke feeling like he hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep. His head was groggy and his eyes were crusty . . . wait, he had eyes? Yes . . . he became aware of small itches in his back and stiffness in his limbs and a sorness in his neck - he was back in his body and already the netherworld was starting to feel like a dream. He took a deep breath in, savoring the feeling of simply being able to breathe once more.

"You sure it's okay for them to wake up?" he heard Jacen's voice asking.

Han pushed himself up on his elbow, seeing that Leia and Luke were waking up on either side of him and Mae and the twins were talking to Anakin's ghost, all of whom had anxious looks on their faces.

"Well?" Han asked. "Did it work?"

. . .

"Owen . . . Owen, wake up."

Owen groggily opened his eyes, barely able to make out his sister in the dim light. "Wha?"

"Come on," said Mae. "There's someone you should meet."

Still half-asleep, Owen allowed Mae to lift him out of bed and carry him to their parents' bedroom, but once he saw who was there he jumped out of his sister's arms and ran up to his grandfather.

"Hey Grandpa!" he exclaimed. "So how'd it go? Did you get my grandma back?"

Anakin gave a silent sigh. "Well . . . sort of."

That was when Owen noticed the second ghost, a woman with curly brown hair, huddled in a corner, her eyes darting around, not lingering on anything.

"Is that my grandma?" Owen asked.

The female ghost looked at him. "They tell me I was Padme. I thought I remembered being Padme for a while . . . but . . . now I don't know."

"You _are _Padme," Anakin said, quickly stepping up to her. "You _have _to remember!"

Padme gazed at her husband's ghost as the mortals all held their breaths. "Ani . . ."

Anakin cupped her face in his hands. "Yes . . . yes . . . remember . . ."

"Ani . . ." Padme repeated, staring blankly into his eyes. "I . . . remember . . . fire . . . lava . . . you . . . hurt me."

Anakin's hands slipped off her face and his head lowered. "Yes . . . I hurt you. I did many terrible things when I was alive." He slowly glanced back up at her. "But . . ."

Padme put her hands on his shoulders, hushing him as she stared into his eyes.

"Mother . . ." Luke whispered, but it was the only word he could say. The silence lingered on after his word - even Owen knew not to disturb the ghosts.

Finally Padme's arms reached ever-so-slowly past her husband's shoulders, curving into an embrace. "Ani . . ." she whispered again, but this time with a sense of familiarity. "Ani . . ." Her head leaned forward, resting on his shoulder.

"Padme," Anakin murmured, wrapping his arms around her, resting his head on hers, his voice sounding like it was trying to sob. "I've missed you for so, so long . . ."

Padme absorbed the embrace for a few moments before looking back at the mortals gathered around. "Luke, Leia. My children." She reached her arm out to them, her other arm still holding on to Anakin. "Come here."

After glancing at each other, Luke and Leia made their way to the ghosts, allowing Padme to stroke their cheeks and kiss their foreheads with her intangible-yet-warm lips.

"I wish I could have been there for you when you were growing up," she whispered. "You both seem like wonderful people." She then eyed Han, who was still sitting on the bed, and a grin formed on her face. "Han, come on, you too. You found me, after all."

With an embarrassed grin, Han got off the bed and joined the group, bending over so Padme could kiss his forehead as well. Leia couldn't help but snicker at the sight.

"Grandpa, aren't you gonna introduce _us?"_ Owen piped up, having stayed quiet for about as long as he was able to stand.

Anakin smiled at his grandson. "Of course, Owen."

Padme gazed over at the children. "Grandchildren . . ."

"Jaina, Jacen, Leia's children," said Anakin, extending his arm to each child as he introduced them.

Jaina and Jacen waved shyly at their grandmother. "Hi," said Jaina.

"So, do you want us to call you Grandma or something else?" asked Jacen. "I mean, you look pretty young to be called Grandma."

Padme shrugged. "I don't really care right now."

Anakin extended his arm to Luke's children. "You've met Owen, and this is Mae, they're Luke's children."

Mae gulped as she slowly approached her grandmother. "Hi . . . Grandma . . . I'm sort of named after you. My dad, he found out who you were shortly before I was born."

Padme smiled at her.

"Leia also has another son named Anakin," Anakin explained, "but he's with his aunt right now."

Padme's smile extended into a large grin. "Anakin? Really?"

"Really," said Leia.

Meanwhile Han gave a yawn, stretching his arm behind his neck. "Well, I dunno about you guys, but I'm ready for a good night's sleep _inside _my body."

"You will have to wait a little while for that," boomed Obi-Wan's voice as his ghost appeared in the middle of the room.

"Obi-Wan!" Padme exclaimed with a smile.

After returning Padme's smile, Obi-Wan approached the three who had carried out the mission. "We are all in your debt, young ones."

Luke's mouth twisted in embarrassment. "Come on Ben, we didn't do much."

"Didn't do much?" said Obi-Wan. "You were willing to send your very _souls_ into the unknown for a chance to help the mother you never even knew. You saved billions of spirits from an eternity in the netherworld. The three of you have shown a level of courage that is _extremely _rare even among those who have passed on, so _don't_ tell me you didn't do much."

"Master," said Anakin, who was back to embracing his wife, "don't you have something to show them?"

"Yes indeed," said Obi-Wan, and with that, several more ghosts appeared.

"Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru!" exclaimed Luke, running into his aunt and uncle's embrace.

"Luke," murmured Beru, "I'm so proud of you."

There were tears in Luke's eyes as his aunt kissed his cheek.

The child Owen ran up to them almost as fast as his father had. "Hey guys!" he said in his cheery voice. "My name's Owen too, my dad named me after my great-uncle."

The ghost Owen gave an embarrassed smile as he patted the child on the head. "Looks like you've done well, Luke." His grin widened as he noticed Mae hesitantly approaching him. "And that's your oldest, I assume?"

"Yeah," said Mae a little awkwardly. "Nice to . . . meet you guys."

Beru looked at her great-niece with admiration. "You have your father's eyes."

Meanwhile Leia had found the ghosts of her adopted parents, who were now embracing her between them as Jaina and Jacen introduced themselves. Han sat back down on the bed, beginning to feel a bit left out, remembering what he'd been calling out when he was pulled back into his body. Had he done it right? Did his connections or whatever work? He gazed down at his fingers, wondering if it even mattered since he never knew them anyway.

"Han?"

His stomach jumped and his whole body cringed at the unfamiliar voice. He had to take several deep breaths before he was finally able to slowly look up.

The voice belonged to a female ghost, tall and slightly chubby with a mess of long brown hair the same color as Han's. "Han," she said in a slow, gentle voice, "I know you don't remember me, but my name is Rya." She carefully sat on the bed next to him. "Rya . . . _Solo."_

Han couldn't stop tears from escaping - he didn't even try. "M-M-M . . . M-Mom?"

The woman nodded. "Sweetheart . . . I don't know what to say."

"That makes two of us," Han mumbled, but his mother was smiling at him, running her hand over his head, making it feel like he was being massaged by warm air.

"You've grown so handsome," she whispered.

Han didn't know how to respond, but he didn't get a chance to anyway, for the ghosts of a man and a young boy appeared on his other side. The man a bearded face with hair a few shades lighter than Rya's and the boy had hair of the same color sticking up all over his head.

"Han, I'm Jaron Solo," the man said awkwardly. "I'm . . . your father." He held up the boy in his arms. "And this fellow is Ky."

The boy raised his eyebrow at Han. "So . . . you're my _baby_ brother?"

Han gave a small chuckle through his tears. "Yeah kid, in a matter of speakin'." He sighed, wiping his eyes. "I'm sorry you didn't get to grow up. I'm sorry I didn't get to know any of you. I'm sorry I . . ."

Rya put her ghost finger on his lips. "Shh. It's all right now, Han."

"But you're _dead . . ."_

"And _you_ called to us in the netherworld," Jaron interrupted. "We're here because of _you."_

The ghost boy shivered. "I didn't like it there. It was so dark and lonely."

"I didn't like it there either, kid," said Han.

Ky rumpled his mouth. "Why're you calling me _kid?_ I'm _older _than you!"

Rya smiled at her sons. "Boys, don't fight."

Han gazed back at his mother, feeling ever-so-slightly that he had looked into those eyes before, that perhaps he did have a little bit of memory after all. Maybe it was just a crazy hope - after all, he was only a baby when she died and he didn't have the Force to capture long-ago memories like his wife did. But then again, here he was talking to his dead family, so how crazy could remembering them be in comparison?

. . .

Rianna was exhausted when she and Anakin finally returned home. She had been bombarded by the press, by senators, by Jedi for hours, and by now she didn't want to think about bombs or ghosts and just wanted some sleep.

"Aunt Rianna, do you think they got Grandma's ghost back?" Anakin asked as they entered the darkened apartment.

"I don't know," Rianna said with a groan as she turned on the lights. "I just hope they got back into their bodies all right."

"Rianna!"

Rianna looked up and sighted in relief to see Luke at the top of the stairs, grinning widely at his wife. He ran down to her, almost looking like he would trip on the steps on the way, and scooped her into his arms.

"Rianna, it was amazing!" he said in a rapid voice. "Come on, you have to meet my mother, and my aunt and uncle, and Han's parents, and . . ."

"Luke," Rianna interrupted, wrapping her arms around his neck, "I'd love to, but first there's something you need to know about."

Luke's face fell. "Oh right, Father said something happened at the Jedi Temple and . . . oh no, I _forgot_ about it." He held his wife closer. "Rianna, I'm so so sorry, I had so much on my mind . . ."

She put her finger on his lips. "It's all right, I understand. I've been under a lot of stress the last few hours, but I understand."

"Well what happened?"

Rianna stared up into her husband's eyes.

"A bomb exploded."

TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
